Mobile World Congress 2015 round up

THE BEST BITS OF MWC2015

We’ve had an awesome time at MWC. We’ve seen some stunning new tech from some of the biggest names in the industry including Samsung, HTC, Sony, LG, Microsoft, BlackBerry and many more.

Let’s take a look back at some of the highlights.

SMARTPHONES

On Sunday we saw the arrival of the amazing Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. A big tick in Samsung’s box with the new smartphones is design. While the likes of the Galaxy S5 and S4 were made of plastic, the new Galaxys are crafted from a blend of glass and aluminium.

Not to be outdone, we’ve also seen the arrival of the fantastic HTC One M9, which unsurprisingly looks great. The brushed metal has made a return and HTC’s UltraPixel technology has now moved to the front of the phone. The rear camera now comes in at 20MP, which is a big upgrade.Following months of deliberation, we’ve finally decided that the award-winning HTC One M8 can be beaten. Check out more about the HTC One M9 here.

Microsoft and Sony have also been busy with a few new devices apiece. The Lumia 640 and 640 XL turned up on Monday morning – the third and fourth titles to arrive bearing the Microsoft name, following the takeover of Nokia last year. Read more about the new Lumias right here.

Sony has left us high and dry without a new flagship device, but the Japanese company has rolled out a new 10.1-inch tablet called the Xperia Z4 tablet, and a new smartphone called the Xperia M4 (pictured above). Follow the links for more information.

WEARABLES

When it comes to wearables the headline has got to be virtual reality. We’ve seen a new immersive HTC device called the Vive, and Samsung’s new Gear VR, which works with the also brand new Galaxy S6. Microsoft showed off Hololens and Oculus is looking as good as ever.

In the watch world, Guess made waves with its new line up of sterling timepieces. Following a more traditional design, the watches feature physical hands but include a small digital display for notifications.

LG and Huwaei both unveiled a line of handsome smartwatches, too. LG’s Watch Urbane has proved that it’s not all about a sharp face, with a beautiful hand-stitched leather strap as standard.

It’s a similar story with Huawei, who mightn’t be the biggest name in the game right now, but if the company continues on this path, it certainly will be soon. Introducing the TalkBand B2, TalkBand N2 and a very handsome Android Wear-powered smartwatch – simply called the Huawei Watch. Read more about Mobile World Congress’greatest wearables here.

SMART TECH

We’re big on the internet of things at Carphone Warehouse, so we were we really excitedto see some of the new tech that is pavingthe way at home and on the road.

There was an unexpected announcement from Swedish furniture manufacturer, IKEA, in that the company will soon be producing furniture that can charge your smartphones and tablets.

Volvo’s vice president and group CIO, Klas Bendrik, said: “Imagine a world where road status data, collected by cars, is shared with other road users and with local authorities through a connected cloud – a world where the benefit of anonymised data-sharing supports convenience and life-saving services, while helping to contribute to a better society. Volvo Cars is working on realising such a future scenario.”